“We Don’t Complain About Little Things”: Views of Veterans and Military Family Members on Health Care Gaps and Needs

This qualitative investigation examined the views of veterans and military family members on the needs and gaps they perceive in health and mental health care provision. Four focus groups (N = 33) were conducted (two with male veterans, one with female veterans, and one with military family members). Ten themes emerged regarding highly valued and unsatisfactory aspects of care received from providers and health care systems; four topic areas for training providers were also identified. Findings suggest it is critical that health care providers and systems master the military/veteran cultural competence necessary to work effectively with veterans and military family members.